1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus such as an ink jet printer, a target transport device provided in the printing apparatus, and a target transport method in the printing apparatus.
2. Related Art
In related art, a serial type ink jet printer has been known as a kind of a printing apparatus performing a printing process on a target. In such a printer, ink is ejected onto a printing medium (target) transported on a platen (support member), from a plurality of nozzles of a printing head (printing unit) mounted on a carriage reciprocating in a direction perpendicular to a transport direction of the printing medium, thereby performing a printing operation. In the printer, the platen supporting the printing medium is heated uniformly by a heater (heating unit) to uniformly fix the ink, which is ejected from the printing head and attached onto the printing medium, to the printing medium.
In addition to the serial type ink jet printer, a line head type ink jet printer has been known as a kind of a printing apparatus performing a printing process on a target. In such a printer, ink is ejected to the printing sheet from a plurality of nozzles formed on a stationary printing head (printing unit), in a state where a printing sheet (target) transported by an endless transport belt wound on three rollers is supported over the transport belt by a platen (support member), thereby performing a printing operation.
JP-A-11-138793 and JP-A-11-151822 are examples of related art.
In the later printer, when the platen is heated uniformly similarly with the case of the former printer, temperature of the transport belt is increased as it becomes closer to the downstream side since the transport belt is heated on the platen and is slid from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction of the printing sheet. That is, even when heat from the platen is applied uniformly to the transport belt, the heat leans to the downstream side of the transport direction of the printing sheet at the time of transporting the printing sheet using the transport belt.
For this reason, a difference in temperature occurs on a surface of the transport belt supporting the printing sheet. Thus, the printing sheet is not sufficiently heated, and the ink may spread and cohere.